title: Widespread persistent thickening of the East Antarctic ice sheet by freezing from the base.
abstract: An International Polar Year aerogeophysical investigation of the high interior of East Antarctica reveals widespread freeze-on that drives substantial mass redistribution at the bottom of the ice sheet. Although the surface accumulation of snow remains the primary mechanism for ice sheet growth, beneath Dome A, 24% of the base by area is frozen-on ice. In some places, up to half of the ice thickness has been added from below. These ice packages result from the conductive cooling of water ponded near the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountain ridges and the supercooling of water forced up steep valley walls. Persistent freeze-on thickens the ice column, alters basal ice rheology and fabric, and upwarps the overlying ice sheet, including the oldest atmospheric climate archive, and drives flow behavior not captured in present models.
authors.affiliation: Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, NY 10964, USA. robinb@ldeo.columbia.edu
authors.forename: Robin E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Bell
authors.forename: Fausto
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ferraccioli
authors.forename: Timothy T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Creyts
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Braaten
authors.forename: Hugh
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Corr
authors.forename: Indrani
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Das
authors.forename: Detlef
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Damaske
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Frearson
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jordan
authors.forename: Kathryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rose
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Studinger
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wolovick